K-defense: South Korea's weapons industry goes global

SEOUL -- First came glitzy, boppy K-pop. Then came soapy, soppy K-drama. Now, according to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, it is time for another K-moniker for a new,more pessimistic era, as the country with a relentlessly global brand seizes another booming export niche: weapons.

"I support the bold challenge of K-Defense," Yoon wrote in the guest book during a December visit to the offices of Hanwha Aerospace, one of the standout companies in South Korea's burgeoning defense industry. In a shiny industrial area outside the capital called Pangyo Techno Valley, also home to tech giants Naver and Kakao, Yoon posed for pensive photos while admiring hulking aircraft engines.